Transhumanism
by Lady Monk
Summary: Sakura Haruno was a regular 18-year-old presumably facing college the upcoming fall after her high school graduation. Little did she know, there was much more ahead of her than she could have anticipated. When two students transfer into Konoha High, Sakura's life spins out of control as she begins to cope with newfound abilities and newfound enemies. SasuSaku Slow-burn
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, welcome to this story if you're new. I'm cross posting this over from AO3. I appreciate you choosing to read my story, and I hope you enjoy it. There are more notes at the end of the chapter.**

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Her reflection in the bathroom mirror stared back at her with a dull gaze. She looked so different from how she had been just a few days before. Her skin was red from scrubbing dirt off of herself rigorously. It seemed as if it were embedded in her skin, no matter how hard she scraped, it still seemed to stick to her like glue, as if it were a part of her all along.

She turned her head over her shoulder, glancing at the door. Shut, locked, yet she still could not find it in herself to feel safe. Since her odyssey began she has hardly gotten time to rest, let alone breathe. The eerie environment of a cheap motel only exacerbated her anxiety.

Despite the more than capable duo who lingered in the main room, she still felt unease creeping into her like a slithering snake.

How did she end up here? And why was she chosen for this fate?

She was just a dumb high school senior with college prospects. All of that seemed so far away, so irrelevant. She longed for that simplicity.

She had so many questions and no answers.

How would she cope with a life like this-

A life as a superhuman?

**Chapter 1**

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The bell rang for homeroom, chirping its unpleasant screech into classroom and hallway alike. At first, when she was a freshman, it would give her migraines that lasted seemingly until the weekend. But now, as a senior and with graduation inching ever so closer, it was background noise, inconsequential and just a part of her everyday boring life.

She sat at her desk, a hand on her cheek as she mindlessly stared out the window. Ino's desk was empty, as per usual. She had a serious case of "senioritis" and more often than not skipped out on coming to class in favor of beach trips as the warmer months rolled in. And if she was not at the beach, she was sleeping in and nursing a hangover.

All seniors had contracted the virus, even Sakura, as she pulled out her phone and checked her texts. Nothing from Ino, which was normal at this hour. She checked snapchat next. Ino's story was still rolling, it was a video of Sai surfing, rolling along the waves with practiced expertise as Ino cheered along with a happy "Woo!" before it ended abruptly.

"Good morning," Mr. Hatake called out boredly. "Attendance time and then a special announcement." No one moved a muscle or even made any effort to show their acknowledgement, yet Mr. Hatake seemed like he could care less. Either people were talking to each other, hiding their phones, or blatantly texting in the open without remorse.

As was normal, Mr. Hatake called each name out alphabetically and made a tick mark next to the names of those who did not respond, here or not. Sakura knew many who had gotten detention for falling in a lapse of absentmindness while attendance was being taken. Shikamaru, namely.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of," Mr. Hatake practically threw the clipboard out of the door, but as usual it landed where it was supposed to. "Come in."

Sakura swore he must have been a star athlete as a child. How he ended up as a teacher was beyond strange.

A rugged looking boy stumbled in with bright blue eyes and golden, spiky hair. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm a transfer student here at Konoha High!" He greeted with all too much enthusiasm.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. Only a few looked up. Some mumbled a welcome, others just stared absently.

Naruto did not seem to note the general lack of excitement in the room as he sauntered over toward Sakura and plopped down at Ino's usual spot.

"That is my friend's seat," Sakura said immediately. No way did she want this pocket of sunshine near her.

"It's empty though," Naruto responded with a confused look. "Don't tell me you have imaginary friends?" He took on an almost horrified look. "Or can you see ghosts!?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just- If she comes in please give her back her seat."

Any energy she had to argue with this new student was gone. Homeroom would be over in a flash and she would not have to deal with this boy any longer. He did not seem to be the brightest bulb, so she doubted she would face him in her other classes.

She was almost too eager to leave when the bell rang, leaping out of her seat and fleeing the awkward situation with the new transfer student. It was already odd enough that he transferred in April when they'd all be graduating in June.

It was not her business though.

Her day droned on as usual. Ino sent her a text around noon. Of course she was not coming in. Sakura let out a sigh as she dumped her lunch tray, eyes planted firmly on her phone.

It was as if he came out of nowhere. Normally, Sakura was pretty aware of her surroundings and moved out of the way when she saw someone's feet approaching, but she did not even notice him. He was solid, incredibly so, and she lost her footing as her phone went flying. It hit the floor with a sickening crack that made Sakura's stomach drop while she landed on her bottom.

"Oh _no_, my parents are going to kill me!" She whined.

"You have strange priorities of concern considering you just ran into me."

She looked up at him from her place on the cafeteria floor and was immediately taken aback. It felt as if her insides were being spun rapidly in a whirlpool. Her cheeks and ears burned with embarrassment.

One because he was right, and secondly, she was pretty certain she had never seen such an attractive guy before.

He had the blackest hair she had ever seen, and eyes to match. Puberty was especially kind to him, because he had near perfect pale skin and was definitely more suited to being on the cover of a magazine or on TV rather than a high school student.

"S-sorry," she stammered and suddenly very aware that she was staring.

He paused and kneeled down to pick up his spilled tray. "Hm." It was more of a grunt than a reply, just a displeased noise, as if he had nothing to spare to someone so inconsequential.

Sakura's shattered phone was completely forgotten as she stood. "Did I get anything on you?"

"No," the boy replied before giving her an up and down look. "You might need to look at yourself first."

Sakura looked down. Ketchup and mustard, as well as gravy stained her maroon shirt. She let out a horrified squeak. "Oh my god, I just got this shirt!" She near shrieked in mourning.

She could have sworn she caught the slightest hint of amusement in the form of a smile from the new boy as he turned and walked away. "Later," he said, tossing his styrofoam tray in the trash as he waved her off.

She collected herself off the floor, grabbing her shattered phone. The screen was completely destroyed, she could see bits of the electronic wiring in bits of missing glass. She sighed and tossed it into her bag. Looks like she'd have to face that fire.

A quick detour and she pulled a spare shirt from her gym locker, sighing at the stains on her brand new red shirt. Regardless, she still folded the fabric, careful to prevent the stain from spreading to her purse. So she carried on to her last class of the day. Anatomy and physiology.

Tsunade Senju was the greatest teacher in the world, Sakura was surely convinced. She was brilliant in every sense of the word, and it was the only class that actually engaged Sakura these days. She felt as if she were learning something important, and it was what inspired her to pursue a degree in biology, and then to continue onward to pursue a career in medicine.

When she pulled open the door, she was tardy of course, but she could explain if she needed to. Mrs. Senju did not care, however. She smiled and waved as her teacher raised an eyebrow, irritated but not saying a word as Sakura rolled in. Teacher's pet? Probably. Did Sakura care? Of course not. She took her usually seat. Ino still absent, of course. Ino had followed her into the course, interested in competing with her for best grade, but as Sakura revealed herself as a real pain in the ass, Ino took flight. It seemed that swimming with the sharks was much more entertaining than their rivalry.

"Why are you late?" Ms. Senju's low growl pierced through the room, sending shivers up Sakura's spine as she looked up, slight fear stabbing in her chest as she swallowed nervously.

What she expected was Ms. Senju to be glowering down at her with scorching eyes. Instead she saw her teacher facing the doorway to the classroom, her dyed blonde bun in shambles after yet another stressful day of dealing with the angstiest human beings in the modern world. Before her was a strikingly familiar face that made Sakura's stomach flip and the spirit of her phone ring from the grave.

"You should ask her," The smooth, icy voice of the new boy said simply. Frightfully, Sakura looked up to see him pointing right at her with his thumb, but his dark eyes were locked onto Ms. Senju who was likely equally dueling the unruly black-haired boy. "Considering she came in seconds before I did, and I know for a fact that the bell rang minutes ago," he added in a matter of fact tone.

_Rest in peace, teen vogue. _Sakura thought to herself, but was surprised when Ms. Senju took a step back. The rest of the class had been just as involved and just as shocked, murmuring beneath their breaths at the out of place reaction from Ms. Senju.

"Class, this is Sasuke Uchiha. He's new," she said, distinctly dismissive of the whole ordeal.

Most answers to his introduction were nervous mutters, shocked to see their fiery spirited teacher not kick this new boy's ass halfway across the school, down the stairs, and straight into the principal's office. There were naturally some dreamy sighs from some of the more shameless people, though if Sasuke had heard he seemed to give no intention of acknowledging it.

In fact, Sasuke did not even return the greeting and was keen to completely ignore the ruckus that he had caused in Ms. Senju's classroom.

"I suggest you find yourself a seat, Mr. Uchiha," Ms. Senju chided. Even she had her limits with the new student. He sauntered in casually, only sparing a grunt of acknowledgement given toward Ms. Senju.

He explicitly avoided the desperate crowd. Actually, Sakura noted, he tried to avoid the crowd altogether. As he went to the row behind her, he gave the boy behind her a stare, to which he responded by promptly getting up and scurrying on to sit beside a friend. Sasuke took the empty seat and leaned back in his chair.

"Now that that is out of the way…" Ms. Senju began her lesson, and Sakura paid attention, of course. The nervous system was especially intriguing to her. It was the way that neurons are like little electric conductors and messages transmitted like a radio to tell the body what to do, that Sakura's life was not completely in her control gave her some excitement.

She was painfully aware of eyes boring into her back, sending chills up and down her spine. However, whenever she turned to face Sasuke, he was staring down at his phone.

This little ritual continued for the entirety of the hour and fifteen minutes of the block, with Sakura becoming increasingly more flustered. When the bell rang she whipped around.

"What's your problem?" She asked him, brows furrowed and lips puffed in a pout.

"What's _your_ problem?" Sasuke shot back coolly, face impassive. He did not even bring his eyes up to look at her, still locked on his phone. How mature.

Sakura rolled her eyes and stood up, gathering her things together. She made sure to take her time, wary of his gaze once more. Ms. Senju made her leave from the classroom before they did, headed to who knows where. Probably to talk about the latest assets to the school, who Sakura had no doubt were both skilled in seeking attention though for different reasons.

She finally walked out, still aware of those dark eyes, still feeling them like fire on her back.

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**A/N: Welcome to Transhumanism ! Thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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The next day of school started off simple. Her father's disappointed look at the shattered new phone that Sakura sadly held out to him hadn't been as bad as she had anticipated it would. So perhaps Sakura mused that the turn of today would be better for her than yesterday.

When she got into class, Ino was sitting in her usual place in homeroom. With one foot propped up on the seat and the other on the floor. Her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared down at her phone thumbing away a text like rapidfire. When she saw Sakura's shoes tread toward her seat, she perked up. "Oh, I thought you'd died! Why were you not answering my texts last night?"

"I dropped my phone yesterday," Sakura admitted with a sad sigh, pushing her still wet cherry blossom pink hair out of her face.

"Like in the toilet? I do that all the time. Just put it in a bag of rice," Ino answered quickly with a wave of her hand.

"No, like, it's destroyed." Sakura explained further, shaking her head as a frown worked its way onto her face. "I ran into one of the new students during lunch and my phone went flying halfway across the room. It was like running into a freaking wall."

"Whaaat? Oh no! I'd die without my phone," Ino exclaimed with horror, her brows furrowing apologetically. As if on cue, her phone pinged and she was immediately working on a response message to whomever had texted her. It was probably Sai.

"Yeah, it's the worst," Sakura lamented, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. "I also ruined my new shirt I got," she added on with a pitiful arch of her eyebrows, puffing her other cheek out.

"Ouch," Ino grimaced.. "Sheesh, who does this new kid think they are anyway?" Ino growled out, shaking her head. "They are probably getting off to the fact that they broke your phone! Were they laughing? I bet they were. No one who is truly sorry doesn't even offer to buy someone a new phone. True evil manifests itself in the form of a phone-destroyer."

"Not everyone can just buy someone a new phone if they break it," Sakura put her head down in her hands, groaning. Ino reached over to pat her back gently, comforting her friend for the loss of an oh-so-important loved one.

"Hey, Billboard, it's no big deal, I'll buy you a new phone this weekend. I mean, who else will look at my snap stories?" Ino joked with a smile. As if she did not have a million snapchat friends from all over the world and was a budding Instagram model.

Sakura snorted at that, and Ino raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to have to take any of your money, Ino-pig," she grumbled out. "It does not sit right with me, just like all of the other things you buy me."

"Well fine then, don't take my loving gifts! After all I have done for my lovely best friend whom I care so much for and miss texting desperately." When Sakura's only answer was a disgruntled groan, Ino stifled laughter. "At least tell me this: Was the new kid hot?"

Sakura waited several seconds to answer that, remembering Sasuke's face. The chiseled jaw, that sharp nose, black hair with dark eyes that seemed to bore into your soul, and his mouth set in that smirk, as if he was pleased by the chaos he brought with his very presence. The way he seemed to challenge her after school yesterday had nearly set her skin on fire. Temper flaring at the memory, she lifted her head from her arms.

"He was very hot," Sakura answered finally with a terrible pout on her face and rosy cheeks. She was certain that was out of anger. Because for all intents and purposes, Sasuke Uchiha seemed to be an untamed ass with no intention to settle down. His standoff with Ms. Senju was a testament to that.

Awkward coughs interrupted the two, causing them to look over. Sakura immediately rolled her eyes. Oh great, _Naruto._

"Hi, I uh, I guess your friend isn't imaginary," Naruto spoke up awkwardly, laughing nervously as a hand went up to rub the back of his neck.

"Why would I be imaginary?" Ino snapped, suddenly insulted. "I mean, I get that I'm a dream but I am certainly real."

"Well, it's just y'know," he started, but decided to stop before he dug a hole for himself. Sakura noted that that was probably a good call. "I'm Naruto, I'm new here. I sat where you're sitting!"

Ino scrunched up her face at him, fury flaring in her crystalline blue eyes like the innermost part of a flickering flame. "Did you break Sakura's phone?"

"Uh...No?" Naruto said, tilting his head to the side curiously as he side-eyed Sakura. "Why?"

"Sakura said she ran into a new kid around here, said he broke her phone," Ino said, standing up, getting ready to fight, humiliate, or both.

Naruto raised his hands defensively. "No! No! That wasn't me," Naruto blabbered, shocked at her willingness to throw down with him so easily.

"No, no, Ino, it wasn't actually him," Sakura quickly said, reaching over to settle her bull shark of a friend down.

"Was it Sasuke?" Naruto suggested, but from the newfound heat in Ino's eyes, it was clear that he regretted the suggestion immediately. He swallowed a lump in his throat, fearful from on his face as Ino spoke down to him.

"You know him?" Ino put her hands on her hips, no intent to back down just yet.

"Uh, yeah, we're friends. We're both new, y'know!"

"Jeez, Ino, he's not guilty by association," Sakura tried to reason.

"Sasuke broke your phone?" Naruto questioned, shaking his head. "Why'd he do that? I get that he can be really moody, and sometimes a little cruel but..."

"I ran into him, it was an accident!" Sakura seethed through her clenched teeth.

"Oh, yeah, he can be pretty sneaky, comes outta nowhere!" Naruto said, laughing. "He has the footsteps of a kitten!"

"Tell me about it," Sakura muttered bitterly. "Well, don't worry him about my phone breaking. It was my fault after all, I was the one who ran into him."

Naruto whispered something under his breath. Either "Unlikely" or "sounds likely" which didn't really do much to solve Sakura's newfound confusion.

"What was that?" She pressed further, trying to get the blond spiky-haired maniac to speak up.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Naruto practically squeaked. Then the bell rang for the first class of the day. _Of course it did._ Sakura hissed inwardly. Naruto escaped quickly from the conversation, storming out of the room too quickly for Sakura or Ino to get any further answers from him.

She was forced to spend the day listening to Ino's recounts of yesterday's beach party throughout first block. Apparently Kiba had gotten them a keg. Yet there was something familiar that was eating away at her. She felt like she was in the woods, seemingly alone but definitely being watched. This went on for the majority of the block period, until she couldn't ignore a familiar pair of eyes boring into her.

Pretty soon, Ino's voice had become white noise as she tried to gander some semblance of who exactly Naruto and Sasuke were. It was odd that they were already so close to each other. Sasuke did not seem like a conversationalist, nor a small talker. In fact, he was a 'no talking at all except for if I can repeat exactly what you said or it is something that is amusing to me.' That made things incredibly frustrating and made Sasuke nearly impossible to get close to. Not like she wanted to get close to him, she did not appreciate his attitude with Ms. Senju, nor did she want to be in the company with the likes of Naruto, the over-the-top bubbly new kid. Was there some prior history between the two? They were clearly not brothers. Their last names were different, but maybe foster brothers? It was strange. Foster brothers would not travel together from home to home like that so easily, especially at their age. She tried to piece things together, but ultimately drew up nothing and let out an audible huff of frustration.

"Hey, Forehead, you listening? Jesus, I know it's not because what I'm saying is boring, because it is NOT," Ino boldly interjected, interrupting her train of thought like a hand through a thick fog. Though it felt like a slap more than anything, there was a dangerous look in Ino's eyes. Sakura furrowed her brows as she came back to the present.

"You're still gonna call me Forehead, Pig?" Sakura questioned. That nickname still stung like daggers. Sakura liked to think that she grew into her forehead as the years had gone on. She wasn't that round-faced premature girl anymore.

"As long as you still call me Pig, Billboard," Ino jabbed back. "Anyway, as I was saying, we got chased by the beach security. Sai and I snuck off somewhere secluded," she continued, a sly smirk splitting her features.

"Gross, Ino, I don't need to know what happens next," Sakura whined. She already had a great idea of what happened. It was unfortunate for Sakura, but she knew every detail of Ino and Sai's steamy romance.

"We totally made out, high on that adrenaline. The best time to do it," Ino explained with a dreamy gleam in her eyes and a light flush on her cheeks as if she was recalling the incident. She clearly did not care whether or not she had permission, and Sakura was used to that. "Hey, what the hell, you're usually into this kind of thing. Something's been bothering you."

And it was true. She was usually neck deep into the gossip, snickering about someone or another's flings was the heart of her and Ino's friendship. It seemed shallow, but it was that, shopping, makeup, and fashion.

However, Sakura could not have just said that she felt like there was something off about Naruto and Sasuke. Especially because those eyes were on her, searing into her skin. But each time her gaze flickered to the back of the room right in the direction of the black-haired beauty, he wasn't looking. It was as if he was predicting her movements, too quick to catch like a wet bar of soap.

Ino took a sip of her coffee, rolling her eyes at Sakura before following her gaze. And then she nearly choked, sputtering a bit but covering her face with her hand. "Oh my God, Sakura you're shameless!" She half whispered, half shouted.

"What?!" Sakura hissed under her breath at her friend. "Oh my- You Pig! You didn't think I was staring at him! He was staring at _me_!" She growled low so only Ino could hear her.

"Uh, news flash, he wasn't," Ino answered, wiping her hands off on a napkin she got from her purse.

Sakura puffed her lips outward, throwing her head in her hands, frustrated. She couldn't be wrong about this. She had a fairly good instinct, she was certain of that. For the most part, she was rather good at playing this game. But for some damn reason, Sasuke Uchiha was one step ahead of her. But it was possible that he was not looking at her, that her paranoia was getting the best of her. She did feel somewhat drawn to him, though she was far from being struck by Cupid's arrow. There was no way in Hell that she would fall for someone so ornery.

"He probably thinks you're crazy. I mean, I know I would," Ino said, angling her hand mirror to fix her lipstick, rubbing her lips together to spread the cherry red balm. "But you're right though," she added, closing the hand mirror with a click as a grin split across her face.

"Right about what?"

"He is hot."

"Ugh," Sakura slammed her face down into her desk with a dull thunk. It felt good, very self indulgent. She was sort of happy that she would not have to worry about being in classes with Ino until their shared course with Ms. Senju.

Her second class went by much the same way with Ino talking animatedly and Sakura nodding along, not wanting to be caught off in her thoughts again. She even laughed when Ino got a call during class from a distressed, groggy, and most definitely hungover Kiba who was stuck in the local police station's drunk tank. Apparently too afraid to call his parents, Ino immediately made some arrangements through text to get Kiba home. Being the daughter of a wealthy CEO for flowers definitely had its perks.

She tried to avoid another catastrophe this lunch period, she formulated a plan to get some time to herself for her thoughts. Senior privileges had their way of making things easier for her to escape the loud buzz of the high school environment. She thanked the world for this small respite. For four years she suffered as an underclassmen, and the taste of independence was intoxicating.

She got to her car, a dinghy 2005 dark blue four-door SUV with breaks that squeaked in the cold and a hideously offensive cream cloth interior. But hey, it was a hatchback, and as far as Sakura was concerned that was good enough for her. It was definitely looking rather sorry parked next to Ino's hot red corvette, the convertible cloth pulled over to cover the seats. It was probably going to rain, then, Sakura noted. Ino treated that car like it was her child, checking the weather religiously. Even the smallest chance of precipitation and the hood went up until the coast was clear.

She settled into the driver's seat of her car, twisting her keys in the ignition and leaning back, strapping into her seatbelt. She could go to that little sandwich shop and get herself an Italian sub, with all the toppings. That sounded nice about now, and would stomp on soggy chicken nuggets or week-old reheated pizza. Any annoying meetings with black haired dream boats or gossip queens was out of question, and so blissfully far, far away. There was never any shame in eating alone, Sakura reasoned. Especially not when an Italian sub was in question. Regardless, she needed this time to think for herself, to study for the upcoming finals and to work on wrangling in more scholarships for her quest in becoming a pre-med student.

As she took off from the parking lot, mentally blowing a kiss goodbye to her wonderful parking space, she head on to brighter pastures.

What she didn't notice was the large black cadillac that was parked across the street set into motion after her, prowling behind her like a starving cougar. It kept its distance, made room for other cars. So there was no reason for her to be worried, none at all. And so it was out of mind, a fleeting acknowledgement.

The sandwich shop was a good deal away, but nothing so far that she would not be back for her next class. It was a quieter part of town, quaint and peaceful. Despite this, the shop was quite popular, and they had two large lots for parking. One around the building itself, and the other across the street. As to be expected during the lunch rush, both parking lots were packed full of cars. People were flooding in from all parts of the city to enjoy themselves here, and Sakura usually indulged only once a month at this restaurant because of the wait. But what she needed was time, and there was no better day than today than to indulge.

She pulled into the far end of the second parking lot beneath the shade of some trees, reaching for her purse in the second seat and stepping out. She made it several steps before stopping dead in her tracks. The ominous black van was silent, engine gently thrumming no louder than the blowing wind as it was paused before Sakura. A storm was on its way. A leaf skittered past her, scraping against the patchy tar of the parking lot, nearly masking the sound of the imposing vehicle completely.

She noted with some initial confusion that it was blocking her and giving her not much room to escape without having to walk directly by the doors of the van. She felt a sense of fear bubble in her throat, forming a lump that was hard to swallow. And if so, who owned such a vehicle? She had never seen this car before at the school parking lot.

Dread began to bubble in her stomach, rising into her throat. She took a step back, toward her car, and a door clicked open. Her skin was crawling, as if a thousands of ants were climbing up her body. From the passenger side she saw a pair of fancy black men's dress shoes. She decided in that split second that she didn't want to see anything else.

Spinning on her heel, she made a mad dash to her car she unlocked it and jumped inside, immediately locking the doors. The man in the boots didn't seem to feel the same sense of urgency Sakura did. She couldn't see him in any of her car's mirrors.

"Come on, come on," she whispered to herself, voice several octaves higher in her panic. Was this how she was going to die? It was rather stupid, she didn't want to end up on some late night news story or on some documentary where her parents tearfully explained her as this golden child. That she was _their_ baby daughter who was so unique and smart. Their college bound child with excellent grades, who had ambitions to become a doctor. _It was so cliche._ And Sakura was filled with too much spite for this to be her reality.

She threw her car into reverse, pulling out of her parking spot. _This was a bad time to pull in instead of take the time to back up into a parking space_, she noted grimly to herself. She audibly swore, her panic finally manifesting to spoken word. As she faced the cadillac head on, she saw a man in a mask, with a gun. She didn't hear it fire, but she saw the way his arm muscles flexed tightly. She stepped on the gas, spun out of control, screamed. As her car slid into a tree on her side of her car.

_I'm so sorry mom and dad. _Were the last thoughts on her mind before everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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When she awoke, she felt dizzy, her vision spinning. Voices were buzzing around her head like flies, and she tried to swat at them. Her arms refused to move, and when she grew more conscious, she realized that she was, in fact tied up as if she were in a classic western. _Great, am I going to die being tied to some train tracks? Someone's clearly been playing too much Red Dead Redemption 2. _

"Orochimaru will be pleased," one voice, a soft masculine one, definitely younger, said.

"Depends, he might not be too happy with just her alone," said another, a woman this time, much older. She definitely had a mother hen quality to the way she spoke.

"Yeah, you are right, but who knows. We know they have been in the area. We have heard rumors of sightings," soft voice said.

"Well, they have proven that when they are together, they make our lives hell. Just last week they nearly killed Kabuto. At least the girl is out of their hands now," the granny answered.

Sakura was obviously confused. According to her captors, she had been a target of theirs for awhile. And the reason was one that very much so eluded her. Why her? What had she done to warrant such a violent thing. She never messed with anyone, nor was she in any type of not-so legal dealings that Ino was more akin to strike than herself. Who was Orochimaru? And what had he wanted with a boring high school senior? She needed to know some answers.

She started to scream, muffled by a cloth tied around her head. She could hear soft voice audibly roll his eyes with the sigh he made. "Shut the fuck up," he spoke sternly, kicking at her. But she did not stop. She only grew louder, her voice struggling to find itself a way to the surface, suffocated of freedom. Each time the gag refused to let her speak freely, but she wouldn't stop. Maybe someone outside would hear her? She could only hope. Kicking and wiggling with what strength she had in her, given her limitations. She hit a bump hard, and coughed and sputtered as the breath was stolen from her lungs.

"Not so tough now are you?" Hissed soft voice. "Kabuto! Hit every single pot hole you find, this bitch isn't down yet."

"Orochimaru will not be happy with damaged goods," the man named Kabuto responded soundly.

"Ah, you fuckin' brown noser," soft voice huffed out, sitting back and folding his arms. He met Sakura's glare head on. "You are lucky you were ever born, You should be _thanking-_" THUNK.

The van hit some very rough bumps after that, from the top and bottom, and all three of her captors seemed to shift into high alert. Sakura felt like she should join in, wildly looking around.

It was supposed to be a good day, it really was. When the door of the van was ripped open by a fox made of fire as blindingly bright as the sun, Sakura didn't really make a noise. There were some things in life that were only seen on movie screens. This was one of them.

The fox barked out behind him, gripping onto the back of the van with one hand while the other dug into the pavement beneath him. Asphalt and rocks rained down, creating a cloud of dust in their wake. The car was tilting, and two of her captors were grabbing onto something. Sakura was left to slide out like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube. Which was nice really, save for the fact the car was going quite quickly, despite the fire fox trying to stop the vehicle.

What she saw next was definitely shocking, surprisingly more so than the giant fox made of fire. One second he was not there, and the next he was. Where soft voice had been, Sasuke now was. Peeking out behind the fire fox she could faintly see the figure of the slender man, distinctly soft voice, illuminated by the glow of a street light as he grew smaller and smaller. Sasuke reached out and grabbed Sakura by her restraints, lifting her up with one hand like she was a bag of groceries. Granny reached for her gun.

His eyes were on her in under a second. Her stomach churned as she noticed his eyes glow red, swirling like a whirlpool, drawing her in. A maelstrom of patterns that caused her to go numb. She couldn't recall what Sasuke had yelled to the fox, but as the van skittered to a stop, crashing into a guard rail finally with a loud bang, it all seemed so irrelevant. It was as if she were walking in jello, the world was bouncy, and full of so many colors, a pallet of paint being rotated by a brush. She could not see anything else, nor hear anything else, cast upon an island.

She felt her stomach twist, not from dizziness, but from hunger. Ocean spray stung her dry skin, as if she were a taut string, about to snap. The salt water burned up her calves. She was so thirsty, her lips were cracked and bleeding, the taste of metal in her dehydrated mouth. She couldn't recall how she made her way to this place, or really, what had happened in her life at all. Was this just her existence? A pointless one, alone on a deserted island, no one to come for her. No one to care. She stood on wobbly legs, stick thin, like the trees that peppered this pretty place. She should have enjoyed it here; she probably did at first. But the ocean was calling her.

She walked forward, feeling the tide of warm water wash over her ankles. What would the ocean hold? What wonders awaited her there? She had to see, and find out. She waded further and further into the water, expressionless. For the first time in her life there was conviction, she was confident that this was the right thing to do. This was not a waste. She descended into the clear blue depths, walking along the ocean floor, walking as if she were on the moon. The blackness of the ocean deep reached out with a hand, grabbing her along before she was pulled to the surface.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice wept, voice distorted as if speaking into a microphone. "Oh my God! I thought you were dead, y'know? We forgot to warn you, oh my God, you could have died!"

She tilted her head, eyes squinting as her vision doubled. Her head felt clunky, and she realized she was wearing a helmet. "Wh-where am I?" She asked, closing her eyes once more. She felt like throwing up, and this fast movement was not helping her case.

"Y-you got captured and- I'm just glad you're safe, y'know?" the voice answered. She tried to look behind her and see who it was, but couldn't quite tell because he was wearing a helmet as well.

"You shouldn't have done that," a second voice interjected, this one a lazy, low drawl. He sounded angry, scolding, as if he was done a great disservice.

"Sasuke, she had no idea, it wasn't like you were exactly on board with telling her everything from the beginning."

_Sasuke?_ Sakura thought to herself, her eyes snapping open as she looked in front of her, another figure crouched over as he clutched onto the handlebars of a motorcycle.

"Naruto, people don't particularly handle this information well," Sasuke retorted, his eyes locked onto the road as he weaved in and out of traffic at speeds that were definitely not in accordance with the law.

"Where am I?" she tried again, trying to pry her way into the conversation. "Oh my God, take me home," she whined.

"Yeah, sure, if you want us all to get killed," Sasuke snapped icily.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be fine," Naruto said soothingly. But Sakura did not feel fine, not even remotely. There was nothing about this situation that was okay.

"Can we… slow down? I'm gonna throw up," Sakura gasped with each breath. Her skin felt clammy and cold, and her heart was beating like an automatic rifle, quick and hard and relentless.

The only sign of affirmation she got was a terribly exasperated sigh. Sasuke's shoulders tensed, and he took the exit ramp off the highway toward a small rest area.

He pulled over, turning off the engine and pulling the helmet off of his black hair. He was scraped and bleeding, she noted with some degree of horror. Naruto was in no better condition, worse off, in fact, as he was limping toward a picnic table to take a seat and examine a painful looking wound in his leg.

Sakura threw off her helmet, letting it hit the ground as she scrambled toward the grass. She threw up, her chest heaving and her mind spinning as she let loose the built of trauma of the day. She hadn't even gotten a chance to eat, all that came up was bile and spit as she sobbed.

"It's gonna be okay!" Naruto called over to her, sitting up and struggling over to her. "I know it's a little scary…"

"A little?" She said, snapping her head to look over at him, glaring with the heat of an exploding star. "What the fuck is going on? Is this some nightmare or something?"

Naruto frowned at that, looking hurt. He turned to look away. "You know, I wish it was sometimes," he said, trying to offer her a smile. "It's not like it's the easiest gig," he joked.

"What do you even mean? What 'gig' is this?" Sakura questioned immediately, throwing her hands up to indicate everything around her, all that has happened today was not normal. This kind of thing didn't happen to her. She was going to college, she had it all figured out. She knew what her life would be, it would be calm and boring. There would be no people with guns kidnapping her or shooting at her.

Sasuke approached quietly, standing just beside her. "We're not quite human," he answered.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You expect me to buy that bullshit answer?" Sakura lashed out.

"I don't expect anything of you," Sasuke replied stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You can lie to yourself and pretend today was normal, I really don't care."

"Sasuke, she's confused," Naruto pleaded gently. "She just needs some quiet for a second. Can you find us a place to stay? I think we're far enough away from Konoha that we don't need to worry." Naruto guided Sakura to sit on the curb, stretching his injured leg out with a hiss.

"Tch, fine." He said, spinning on his heel and pulling his phone from his pocket, tapping away at numbers.

"Where are we?" Sakura said, suddenly alarmed, looking around, trying to piece together her location from something. But there were no signs indicating where they were.

"Uh, I'm not quite sure, honestly. That's usually how things go," Naruto said with a gentle laugh. "Uh, yeah, well Sakura, I need to ask you a favor."

She furrowed her brows. "What could I possibly do?"

"Put your hands on my leg," Naruto said simply. As Sakura's mouth opened to exclaim in protest, Naruto interrupted. "Please?"

With shaking hands she reached over. She still felt frigid, her muscles locking up and straining painfully beneath her skin. But she reached over regardless, placing her hands onto Naruto's lower leg. She didn't know what she expected, but she could feel the warmth of his blood, fresh blood, spill out and coat her fingers.

"Y-you got shot?" Sakura exclaimed. She tried to pull away but Naruto's hands shot out to grab her wrist.

"Please, keep them there," he almost begged.

The suddenness of his actions made her swallow the lump in her throat, looking back down at her hands on Naruto's calve. From her fingertips a luminescent green glow spread until it coated her hands. She was very visibly trembling, feeling the wound beneath her palms seal, skin stitching and blood flow stopping. Naruto let out a hearty sigh of relief, slumping back.

"A through and through, thankfully," he explained to her. "And it's so much easier now that you're with us," he added on, opening his sky blue eyes to look at her sleepily.

"How did I do that?" She whispered half to herself, pulling her bloodied hands away to look down at them, studying them and willing that green glow to return.

"I got us a room," Sasuke interrupted, stepping toward them from the shadows. "Let's go."

Naruto groaned but stood up, though he seemed quite relieved now that he could put more weight on his leg. All the while Sakura sat on the curb, dumbfounded by the blood on her hands. It was still warm, yet all that remained of Naruto's wound was a pink fleshy scar.

"Come on, Sakura," Naruto called out to her, waving her over. "Sasuke says he's gonna leave in ten seconds with or without you."

Sasuke did not dispel that statement, too busy putting on his helmet and starting the large motorcycle. She got up, going to grab her helmet and putting it on, taking her former spot in the middle of the bike. Without giving her much time to prepare, he gunned them all forward, heading back onto the highway toward their night's refuge.

X—X

This lead her to staring at herself in the mirror, picking at her skin anxiously, feeling the blood on her hands, still warm, still thick, caught between the patterned lines of her skin. She couldn't even bear to look at her clothes, tattered and worn, despite looking brand new not too long ago.

She shouldered on a bathrobe, tying it around her waist before exiting the bathroom, still damp hair draping across her shoulders. As she looked into the room, Naruto was already passed out, tucked into the sheets. The only thing sticking out was the tips of his spikey blond hair.

Sasuke however, had not gone to sleep yet. He was casually flipping through the channels on the small television sitting at the edge of the bed with the sleeping Naruto. His eyes instinctively snapped to her momentarily before flickering back to the TV.

She tread on the hard, cheap carpet toward her bed. The white sheets were tucked in, and it almost reminded her of a vacation, save for the fact that she was nearly killed several times and she was not with her family. She pulled back the sheets, propping the pillows just right. The room was quiet save for the soft buzzing of light conversation from some generic sitcom before it jumped to a commercial for some beauty product.

"You really should not have done that," Sasuke murmured quietly, breaking the silence.

"How was I supposed to know?" Sakura replied, furrowing her brows at him in her frustration. "Who were those people anyway? Who are you?"

"Those were military agents sent to reclaim us for testing," Sasuke answered coolly, eyes locked on the TV as he once again changed the channel. The sound of an argument blared at them.

"Reclaim us? I was born in Konoha. I've lived there my whole life," Sakura said, looking down at her hands.

"You were born in the same lab as us," Sasuke explained. "We didn't even know you existed until about a month ago. How you managed to stay hidden for so long really eludes me. You're the clumsiest and most predictable person I've ever met. You nearly got us killed and killed yourself in the process."

"You flatter me," Sakura mumbled, sarcasm dripping in her voice as she turned away. The familiar sensation of his eyes on her skin burning her. "Please stop that," she said, turning to face him only to find her eyes locking on his very dark ones.

He didn't say anything, just gave her a once over before scoffing and switching the TV off. He stood up and went into the bathroom. She supposed that meant the conversation was over. She curled up into bed, pulling the sheets over her body. The cheap bed creaked, springs squealing loudly in her ear as she tossed over, facing the wall. The sound of the shower providing just the white noise she needed for her to pass out. She was truly exhausted, the most she had ever been in her life. Sleeping felt like a blessing, and she took it out of fear this would be one of the last chance she may get.

* * *

**A/N: From here on out, the story will be picking up. I'm doing my best to set up the world for you all! Hopefully I'm doing a decent job at that. Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to continuing this. :)**


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